Ashes of an Empire
by Sintagon
Summary: The Empire is at war with the Republic, and the Sith are at war with themselves. As the Empire burns itself and the galaxy down, those who are crushed inexorably beneath the heel of the war machine are forced to adapt and survive. Avadd Behermo is one of these unfortunate few, who must fight to survive.
1. Red Dawn

It was as if the lessons of the past meant nothing to the Sith. The moment the news spread that the Zakuul Crisis had ended, the Sith seemed to forget that they nearly faced extinction to the Eternal Empire. That they faced their very doom, something they could have avoided if they had spent less time infighting, and spent more time preparing. Growing powerful. For the Sith, both the Light and Dark sides of the Force were meant to be dominated and applied, to conquer and to see great victory. A single Sith was greater than three Jedi of his same rank, and the Sith code could be so easily applied to so many. What slave did not wish to find freedom? What warrior did not wish for victory? What politician, what farmer, what person did not want power? The answer wasn't shocking, as that is why the Darkside was so persuasive, so pervasive. It was the path to power that no rational soul would deny, without the Jedi. Emotionless guardians, they managed to always beat the Sith in the end. No matter how much the Sith burned their worlds, destroyed billions of lives, the Jedi ended up on top. Unlike the Sith, there were no needs for the Jedi to hide for a thousand years, to fight so desperately to survive. It was not because the Sith were weak, or stupid. It was not because the Empire couldn't follow the Sith to victory. It was because the Sith warred among each other as much as they faced their ancient enemy.

The Republic will always win, until the day the Sith find unity. And that day, a pair of Sith feared, may never come in time. Zakuul was defeated, but already they found themselves amidst a power struggle. The Sith were Purebloods, the race of red-skinned conquerors that the Sith Lords drew their name from. They were Avadd and Behel Behermo, twins from the planet Ziost. A planet destroyed by Sith ambition, once a jewel of civilization and progress for the Sith Empire. Scorned enough by Sith Ambition, the two were rather infamous for turning away the deceptions and schemes of their fellow darksiders, choosing battle and honor above all. They embraced freedom, passion, victory, and power. It was almost enviable, but they still were bound by both duty and the chains of the past. Though neither were Lords, neither were apprentice either. Simply Sith Warriors, they had progressed quite far, until the day they received a message from their old master. Darth Set, a violent and cunning Lord, held quite a bit of sway over his apprentices even after they left his thrall. They respected their master for his power, for his beliefs. He gave them the gift of fire and the knowledge of Chaos, thus turning them into equally cunning and dangerous warriors. And so, the Twins departed Dromund Kaas, to a world on the edge of Sith Space. A world known as Amun, a simple world.

"A call for help. I still don't know what the old man would need our help for, especially out here." Behel's voice poked above the howling winds as their shuttle flew above Amun's lands, eyeing the relatively verdant forestland. His growling voice carried on, "You think Darth Set might've crashed out here, and avoided sending signals so the Eternal Fleet didn't find him? It doesn't inspire much trust in me, but we owe it to him to at least look."

His voice was the only comfort Avadd could find as she studied the canopy below them, "Now's the time to send signals." She rubbed the tendrils on her chin, "After all, we all could sense the end of the crisis."

"Fair point, sister. HEY, PILOT. HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO THE SIGNAL?" Behel banged on the door, spooking a few helmeted imperials.

The pilot's voice was hard to make out, but Avadd could hear enough from her end of the shuttle to get the gist that they were close. All of the men were unnerved, even she was. The only person who was confident seemed to be her brother, who sat in the front of the shuttle, impatiently tapping his foot against the sheet metal beneath him. Clad in fine black Mandalorian war-gear and in a vibrant crimson cloak, her brother was not so similar in style to many Sith in his peerage. His red eyes flashed back and forth between the men and forest, never once did he look to see how she was doing. He could trust that his twin was fine, or at least fine enough to see this mission through. They shared enough obvious similarities to mark themselves as twins, but Avadd's eyes were a bright yellow, and she was much bigger than her brother. Behel was as much a sorcerer as a warrior, while Avadd was a warrior and a juggernaut. Their skills were complementary, where Behel brought down the defenses of their foes and weakened them, Avadd kept them still and beat them down. He burned the land, and she cut down all that remained.

The men with them were men both inspired by Set's legacy or men that Set once employed, before his flagship was destroyed in this sector of Sith space. The Ashen Beasts, they were known as, were an elite fireteam that Set used to greater effect during the Cold War, the Second Galactic War, and even during the early days of the Zakuul invasion. Their armor is grey and black, as Set was the flame that allowed his beasts to thrive. Through the ashes of his fire, rose the destructive force that was his personal army. The two of them, and Set's other apprentices or subservient Lords, were the finale of his force. They were the Red Dawn, as the ash and smoke choke the sky, making a bloody sun rise over a scarred sky. They were the dominance that he sought, the red blades who would bring victory against the foes he faced.

Once his army was made up of hundreds. Now it was ten. Two warriors, seven soldiers, and one doctor. Hopefully, Set had more than that. And hopefully, Set was there. The shuttle remained fairly quiet, considering the wind that blew through the compartment, as they flew to the distress signal. The landscape began to change, the further they flew over Amun's surface. The forestland still permeated most of the land, but the rest had been burnt by war and fallen ships. It was a surprise to see so many downed vessels of the Eternal Fleet, as the Fleet rarely suffered losses in the early days of the Zakuul invasion. Very few Imperial vessels were found with the corpses of the Eternal Fleet, mostly fightercraft and smaller frigates.

"Strange." One of the soldiers said to his friend, sat near him. He pointed to a Eternal Fleet starship, "This place must've been one of the earlier battles of the war against Zakuul, but I'm counting at least three or four downed destroyers."

"And I see a dozen of our own ships." The other sighed, "They suffered a lot of losses to take down a couple of droids."

The soldier shook his head, "Uh, what do you think, Avadd?"

Unlike her brother, Avadd's outfit was not as clean nor as fine. It was scorched, tattered, and worn. It stuck close to her, showing most of the definition on her upper body. The strength of a warrior of her size was not to be underestimated, as her height and musculature was emphasized by the armor she wore. It was not so much armor, as it was a statement. She was her armor, and she was a weapon. She had little need for plate or hardened materials, for she had her body and the Force. Looking down to the helmet in her hands, she thought for a second what she did think about this. A warrior of the Sith rarely questioned why they fought, for it was known that a Sith's life was a battle. Retreat was rarely ever an option, as victory was in the Sith code. Defy the Code, defy your very existence.

But it didn't feel good to die for so little. She looked to the soldier, "I don't try to think about it." The warrior lifted the Mandalorian helmet over her head, "A warrior doesn't look for things to hold them down."

The shuttle began to slow down as the trooper stood, nodding. He laughed slightly, "Fair enough, ma'am. Just wanted to see a Sith's perspective on things. Some days, I think it's because of the Sith we're able to keep fighting, because some of these threats…" The shuttle stopped, hovering at the edge of the forest. Verdant green broke away into tragic grays and blacks, a blast crater filling where once so much life existed. Amun as a world was rich in Darkside energy, so the pit struck Avadd enough to get her to stand and look at why the shuttle had stopped mid-air. The bold warrior rose, treading to the edge of the shuttle. She grabbed onto a railing and hung somewhat out of the shuttle, looking to what had caused this explosion. The ruins of a Harrower Class Dreadnought lie scattered across the field, where the forestland once stood. The flames and sheer weight of the starships fall blew away any of the foliage, leaving a charred landing zone.

"Behel." Avadd looked over to her brother, who was busy putting his own Mandalorian helmet on.

"It's the _Ziost Flame_." Behel confirmed, much to Avadd's dismay, "Bad crash. I don't know if anything could survive this." The shuttle began to lower, flying closer to the ground in an approach to the main section of the vessel. It was clear what blew the Harrower out of orbit, several scars of high-energy fire was obvious across many sections of the dreadnought. The shield generator, the engineering compartment, multiple hangers, and the ship's engines were blown apart. What still was intact was the ship's general structure, albeit in chunks since the super structure itself was ripped apart, as well as the signature symbol that made it clear that it was the flagship of Darth Set. The sigil of Set's Red Dawn was emblazoned on the only remaining prong of the Harrower, a symbol of the Sith Empire set in the heart of a red star. The other prong was in pieces, showing that the ship listed to the side and ran into the ground from that angle.

Avadd took her unlit saber in hand, "Brother. I should take a team into the ship. You fine with staying back?"

"Though I'd like to go in, my talents are not suited for close quarters combat. If anything's in there and it's hostile, you're a better leader for this. Mind if I keep Doctor Sonov, though?" He looked over to the togruta doctor, who was busy studying a datapad, instead of seeing the commotion.

"It'd be safer to keep him here, yes." She lifted her helmet over her mass of unruly hair, "We have enough medpacs to last a prolonged firefight. And if that's not enough, I can cauterize a wound." The Sith rolled her shoulders, popping a few joints in the process, "Though I have a feeling if there's any predators in there, they'll go running when they see me."

"Captain Donovan, Sergeants Rathwell and Morgan, Corporal Okk, and Agent Muar'cisin'arco, you're with me." Three humans, a Trandoshan, and a Chiss. The humans were all from Dromund Kaas, never lived a day outside of the Sith Empire. Though Morgan and Rathwell did little of note, merely rising through rank through consistent service, Captain Donovan earned his rank with relative prestige. He lead several successful skirmishes on Quesh during the end of the Galactic War before Zakuul's invasion, including one where he killed two Jedi without assistance. If not for Zakuul and the disappearance of Darth Set, Donovan likely would be a General at this point. Instead, though, he spent his years fighting Zakuul and searching for the lost Sith Lord. The Chiss, Muar'cisin'arco, went by Arcisina to most. She was born in the Chiss Ascendency and chose to keep strong ties, but she was a true Imperial Patriot. Though Avadd found it rather hard to trust agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, Arcisina was a rather helpful presence in the days after Zakuul's invasion. She was as friendly as Chiss come, and her intelligence and resources made her extremely helpful. And then the Trandoshan. Thanks to the adoption of Malgus' reformations, aliens outside of the Chiss had started to become more and more common within the Imperial military, but even Okk turned heads. Trandoshans had a bad reputation for being brutish and thoughtless predators. That was mostly due to their religion, a cult that followed the ways of a "Scorekeeper" and focused on getting points. Points came from successful hunts, and there was no more dangerous game than sentients. Luckily, Okk had long thrown off his religion, for he saw little merit in slaughter. The Corporal's strength and knowledge of the hunt made him a worthy ally.

Doctor Sonov, Private Orgreeve, Commodore Nyx, and Ensign Wirth were the remaining members of the crew. The Doctor and the Commodore were both Togruta liberated from the Hutt Cartel, Orgreeve was a recruit from Onderon, and Wirth was a Weequay who served Malgus' renegade Empire for the few months it existed. Most of them had been with the original Red Dawn crew, but Orgreeve was new. Maybe Donovan saw something in the boy, but Avadd didn't think too highly of him. The Sith nodded to her brother, hopping from the shuttle, landing solidly on the ground. Always the first, she was followed soon by her team, each of them landing on their feet. Black imperial boots fell upon the surface of Amun, potentially for the first time, to search their first contact with the world.

"Fill me in, Captain." Avadd said, looking to the wreckage ahead, "Why does this world have a name?"

The Captain pulled up a datapad as Avadd began to walk forward, joining her. His accent was weaker than many of his counterparts due to how many years he spent fighting with non-Imperial mercenaries, " Well, ma'am, it appears it was named by Darth Set during his expedition out here." He stroked his sleek black beard as he scanned the datapad, "Darth Malgus' explorations of unknown space lead him until a few systems on the edge of the galaxy, this one was one of the few his people put into the systems to go back to after the infighting died down."

"And nobody came back, because Malgus was defeated and all of his data was destroyed in the explosion." The Sith shook her head, "So how did Set learn of it?"

"Seems like Set was quick to chase down Malgus' people. Wirth was one of 'em." The Captain reached the end of the datapad about the system, "But the Darth wanted to find something out here. Maybe he was searching for places to run if the Empire collapsed."

"The Ra-atum system, huh?" Avadd stopped, looking to the sky, the system's star beginning to lower. She nodded, "It's a good contingency. Might've been helpful when Zakuul invaded. There's no maps here, no hyper lanes. Without the signal we had, we'd've never been able to get here."

"Aye. Shame the Eternal Fleet got here, but maybe it was because they were chasing Set." The Captain put the datapad away, drawing a blaster pistol, "But we should move in. Day's growing short, and I'd rather not be out on an unknown world before nightfall. We're far away from even Dromund Kaas, at this point. Don't want to find out what things make home in the woods."

Avadd didn't respond to that, for she was honestly hoping they'd stay long enough to see what bumps in the night on Amun. Perhaps it was a part of her fighting spirit, perhaps it was just reckless curiosity. Whether or not, they were in uncharted territory, and uncharted territory always hid the greatest foes. Zakuul was in uncharted territory, after all. She sent Okk and Morgan forward, the first to breach the broken starship. Breaking through into unknown territory, even if the ship itself was very familiar to the group. Each of them had served a good amount of time in the _Ziost Flame _and each of them knew Imperial ships extremely well. Exploring a ruined one just so happened to be rare, especially one that had crashed some time ago. Okk and Morgan broke the door down with some smaller explosive charges, taking point. An all clear was sent fairly quickly, giving Avadd reason to take the rest of the crew in. Donovan placed his helmet on, flicking on his helmet light, "Alright people, lights on."

The starship likely had been devoid of light for a while, and now Avadd and her people brought a light again. An unlit saber grew bright, as from Avadd's hand came a vibrant pink light. Though many Sith had derided her for the coloration of her blade, this pink saber had drawn enough of their blood to gain respect. She lifted it up high, illuminating the chamber, to see that they had breached into a hangar bay. Since the ship was buried somewhat into the ground, on its side, the hangar's mouth was buried in soil. With a swing of her saber, she got the attention of her people.

"Ma'am?" Arcisina spoke up, "Orders?"

"Rathwell and Okk, I want you two to find the armory and search the living quarters of the ship. Morgan and Donovan, head down to the few command centers on the ship. I'll be taking Arcisina to the bridge and the officer's deck." She lowered her saber, "Contact me if you find anything. Remember, we're trying to find the distress signal, or any sign of survivors."

"Yes ma'am!" The collective yelled out, breaking off to their assignments. They all were so sure that there was nothing alive, nothing possibly left from a crash of such magnitude. It seemed that Avadd was certain they'd find monsters, Donovan hoping they'd avoid the beasts of Amun. But there was a tingle down Chiss operative Arcisina's neck, something told her there was something off about this mission.


	2. Stirring Embers

The _Ziost Flame_ was a standard Harrower-Class Dreadnought without a standard track record. In the many operations that Darth Set and his Red Dawn set upon, the Harrower had faced countless battles over a relatively short period of time. And it survived each of them, defying all odds. From flying above Corellia in the early days of the renewed galactic war, to bombarding planets in Republic space, to even fighting the False Emperor above Illum. The Flame had flown high and proud, burning an Imperial sigil into each world it struck. To each system, to each man, to each destroyer it burned… an unforgettable name was seared into their histories. And it was all by the decree of the draconian warlord of the Red Dawn, Darth Set. Set's origins and nature are fairly unknown, an oddity even among Sith. The Empire hated aliens and generally still distrusts them, so for this certain Darth, things must've been particularly difficult. The Darth's species was unknown, as he was some sort of canine-headed humanoid of a rather large height, with multiple other animalistic features. It was hard to tell what the Darth looked like beyond the obvious skull-shape, for he wore a strangely designed helmet. Of a unique species of unknown origin, of a culture completely unknown to Imperial customs, and from a section of space never explored… Set was an extreme oddity. Considering he managed to reach his position and earn so much prestige within the Empire, he was something to be feared.

So seeing the scorched remains of his flagship, his chariot of war, on an uncharted world… It hurt. Avadd felt that it clouded many of the operative's minds, their focus waning just slightly due to the grief they felt at the sight of the possible grave of their honored master. To Set's apprentices, pain granted focus. Life without harnessed pain is a life unlived, as pain was possibly the greatest motivator in the galaxy. Sure rage and love drove thousands to bring war over the unending history of the galaxy, but the center of all of these conflicts was the desire to cause or to cease pain. And the Behermo twins, they were the most focused of all. The two were cynical of the Sith, skeptical of the Empire. They had been hurt so deeply by the Sith that they could never trust any Sith, even each other. Born of Ziost, raised of Ziost, prided by Ziost. The Jewel of the Empire had been their home. That home was no more. The Sith Emperor was allowed to become the greatest monster in galactic history by his Empire, and the Empire had lost everything to that. So many worlds, so many lives… And another entire Empire. All lead to ruin by Sith ambition.

The Flame was set on its side, buried in the soil of Amun. To explore the ship, everyone needed to be very careful. The ship had held up so far, but will their tampering finally bring it to collapse? Avadd knew she wouldn't die to a ship's destruction, but the others? They were without the same power she held. Where she would be able to feed on her suffering for potential years, they would be dead within the week. Indeed, such an experience would likely make her into a stronger warrior, but it would be the grave of her allies. There was no future in leaving the people who support you to die, even if your personal abilities improve. So she watched the others scale the hangar's floor, attempting to reach the doors to the rest of the vessel. She and the lizard were to be the last to climb, for they were the heaviest of the company. At least the other five would be in place if Avadd and Okk proved too heavy for the vessel's compromised superstructure. Okk hissed through his teeth, "Not like. Atmosphere heavy."

"The air is heavy, but mostly with emotion. This world is powerful in the Darkside, Corporal." She followed Arcisina's movements, seeing that the Chiss was nearly at the top.

Okk's big orange eyes narrowed, "Like Kaas. But different."

"All of us are familiar with the shadows of Dromund Kaas." Avadd suddenly felt somewhat insecure, looking back, seeing the deep shadows that already had been cast behind them, "But this world is new to us. Hopefully, the feeling won't be alien for too long."

"Eyes are on back." The corporal was on edge, his species' natural predatory instincts driving him into somewhat of a heightened state of awareness, "Like shadows are watching…" He paused, drawing a small blaster rifle and a vibrosword, "Suggestion."

"Since you can't climb with all that in your hands, you're asking to stay behind. To watch the entrance." Avadd didn't speculate for long, seeing that the intent in the trandoshan's body and aura, "So be it. Perhaps this is for the better. One heavy body climbing is better than two."

"Fingers not meant for climbing small Imp grapple line." The Trandoshan flexed his three fingers around his blade, a sharp and raspy laugh leaving him, "Better if I stay."

Avadd did not respond to that, for she had nothing to say. Small-talk was not her specialty and anyways, there was a mission to complete. The floor had been scaled, the line now lowered for her. It was unfortunate that so much time had to be spent waiting, as the incline would have been easily scaled if it were made of any other material. But it was a slick Imperial floor. The ground was so well polished, that even after years of sitting unmaintained and in ruin, that it remained too smooth to climb. The rest of the ship would be easy enough, for the hallways and most of the command rooms were filled with enough panels and machinery that they should be scaled with little effort. She gripped the line tightly, pulling herself up with mostly her upper body strength. Her feet were little more than anchors, for using them to climb would only cause her to slip. Unlike the soldiers, Avadd's boots were worn, their traction little help these days. Perhaps it was time for her to find new gear.

It was not a hard climb, but it still gave her a nice warmup. The Sith's muscles were finely tuned for combat and high-exertion activities, this being no different. Pulling her weight upwards was not a simple task, after all. After a handful of minutes, she joined the rest at the top of the hangar bay. And considering that Donovan, Morgan, and Rathwell all left by the moment she made it to the top, she figured that they had heard her conversation with Okk. This left her with the Chiss, who's crimson eyes had already scanned the location of their next objective. The bridge. Arcisina walked the hangar wall, looking up to the door they needed to reach. Hesitantly, she waited for Avadd, who looked down to check on Corporal Okk. The Trandoshan had lit a few makeshift torches, giving him some light. He paced the bottom, stepping over destroyed starfighters and bodies, checking on the contents within them. The Chiss cleared her throat to get Avadd's attention, "Ma'am, the door is open above. Strange, right?"

"Not entirely. The Eternal Fleet cripples starships with Skytrooper pods, remember?" She clicked her saber to her belt, walking over to the wall that lead to the opened door, "The Fleet bombards the vessel from the outside while their droids break the ship from the inside. So, someone probably ran through those doors the moment power cut off. Seeing that it's halfway open, I think that's the case."

"I apologize for not being aware. The Ascendancy did not fight Zakuul like the Empire and Republic did." The agent reached out, gripping a pipe that stretched the wall, "What should we expect, then?"

"It's possible that the Skytroopers are still active. I don't know how long the droids are able to last on minimal power." She began to climb, same as Arcisina, "But, they won't be any trouble now. Without a central core and with such low power, they're probably as much of a pushover as a protocol droid."

"So you say, ma'am." The next few moments were spent in relative silence, the pair climbing to the top of the wall. Avadd didn't like the prospect of seeing more Zakuulan droids in the wreckage of an Imperial vessel, a sight she had gotten all too used to in the years prior. Her pride as a Sith and Imperial was already damaged by the events on Ziost and the foolishness of the Sith during the years before the fall of Zakuul, so this sight would do her little good these days. Attempting to rebuild broken pride is a hard thing to do when the things that made you proud are either dead, missing, or share the same doubts as you. Already she attempted to put the bodies Okk was picking through to the back of her mind, but she knew very well that those men died with the pride of their Empire still intact. Set went missing before Zakuul effortlessly crushed the Republic and Empire, so his ship going down in a blaze of glory still likely seemed glorious to the warriors who fell. They didn't know that the Eternal Fleet was a bunch of mindless machines, ruled over by children. They couldn't have known, so maybe they went down proud, thinking they blew other strong warriors out of the skies. Not some toys of humans playing god…

The silence was music to Avadd. Though she was used to the hustle and bustle of Kaas City or her homeworld, there were times where voices were unwelcome. Observant, Arcisina was acutely aware what she was feeling, the Chiss keeping silent as they pulled themselves through the partially agape door, exploring the halls leading to the bridge. Curiously enough, there were fewer corpses than Avadd expected. The _Ziost Flame_ had a crew of thousands, with a troop capacity of even more. Though the elite of Darth Set was much smaller in scale, he was not foolish enough to deny the power of numbers the Army and Navy often provided. There were hundreds dead, but the numbers didn't seem to be high enough. The lack of Imperial droids was also interesting, though not entirely shocking. There was little trust for droids in Set's heart, for the Sith Lord always believed that he could get better results from ten men than a thousand droids. That and Set could sense whether or not someone had betrayed him. A machine's heart never betrayed what it was programmed to do.

Avadd didn't hold as many strong feelings for machines as her master did, but she preferred the company of organics, nonetheless. The only droids to be found in her or Set's company were often simple machines, like astromechs or protocol droids. Maintenance or service guided droids were much cheaper than battle droids, and much easier to deal with if something goes awry. As they passed by a clearly gutted medical lab, Avadd began to wonder if there was actually something else out on Amun, or within the Ra-Atum system. Pirates weren't too far fetched of an idea, as they were relatively known for squatting in unexplored territory to escape the eye of the law. The possibility that it was some unknown space-faring people wasn't too hard to believe, as well. With the idea that an entire galaxy conquering Empire hid in the same galaxy the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic lived in made the idea of smaller enclaves and planets just, completely reasonable. But on Amun? It didn't feel right. Worlds so strong in force energy rarely flew under the radar, with nothing happening on them. Even Odessen, a world in the hard to explore Unknown Regions, had a sizable impact on the galactic stage.

Arcisina poked through the remains of an officer's body, searching for something. This intrigued Avadd, leading the warrior to join the agent back in the present. The Chiss was analyzing the officer's clothes and what remained of his body, after years of rotting and being eaten away by carrion, notably looking at his wounds. It seemed she had been studying marks on the walls, doors, and other bodies as well. The Sith knelt down, "I get the impression you're finding something."

"The marks on this officer do not add up to typical blaster trauma." The agent pressed her fingers into the old wound, "Much too long, not carbon scored similarly, and not deep enough." She looks up, her large pure-red eyes peering into Avadd's questioning gaze, "I am unfamiliar with Zakuul's weaponry, but the cause of death here seems to be by Lightsaber."

"Saberstroke. No Knights could've been here… and Skytroopers only use vibroblades." She clicks her tongue, "Clearly Imperial, too. You've been studying the rest of the bodies, as we've gone."

Arcisina nods, "While most of them were killed by blasterfire that's irregular to standard Imperial firearms, many of them appear to have been brought low by weapons typically used by the Imperial Navy." She stood away from the body, spraying some disinfectant onto the finger she pushed into the dead officer's wound, "It's possible that amidst the battle, there was a mutiny."

"A mutiny? While none of the Red Dawn would mutiny, it's possible that some of the officers supplied by the Army were a liability in battle." Avadd rose to her full height, pointing her saber toward the bridge, "The only Sith aboard this ship by the time of its disappearance was Darth Set. Seeing that he should be occupied with blasting the Eternal Fleet out of the sky, by this point, I can only think of two things that would take him out of the bridge. A mutiny is one of them. The other, though, is something I'm concerned about."

"What may that be, if you do not mind answering my query?" The Chiss drew a blaster pistol from its holster, looking to where Avadd was pointing her saber.

"That the _Ziost Flame _crashed here for a reason." Avadd grunted, lowered her blade, approaching the entryway to the bridge. Her partner was not too far behind her, analyzing each doorway they passed, both hands gripped around her pistol. There was light pouring from a slight crack in the bridge's doorway, as these doors remained shut after the power died on the Flame. It was no surprise to Avadd that the vessel's bridge was in such a state that so much light could stream through its entry doors, for Zakuul probably finished the ship by firing a concentrated volley into it. Enough had to be intact, though, for the distress beacon to go through. Even if the beacon came from the lower command rooms, without the bridge's signal array, the beacon would only make it so far. The gap was not wide enough to easily see through, so Avadd wondered if she should cut the door open.

Arcisina poked around the door as much as she could, considering the angle they were at, seeking any possible mechanism that might get a powered down door open. She even began tugging at wires that were empty of energy, seeing if any of the tech she had could put enough juice in to get the doors open wide enough to get through. She was a clever one, this Arcisina, but there was a limit to what intellect got you. For Avadd, the door was no puzzle. It was simply another obstacle. She drew back, tensing her muscles, bringing her arms close to her chest. The worn red material around her arms began to tear as more energy filled them, as the Sith began to pull at the power of the Force. Like a pistol, she shot her arms forward with extreme speed, blasting an incredible amount of raw force energy forward. While it would not be a weapon good enough to throw most trained force-users, it was well-enough to crumple metal and men.

That was adequate, the door blown away with ease. The Chiss looked up, startled for a moment, returning to the familiar stoicism of her people. She nodded, "I forget that the Sith can do that." She brushed a loose strand of blue hair out of her face, "We do not have such powers in the Ascendancy, after all."

"Always confused me how you could turn away such power." Avadd rolled her shoulders, her arms now sore from the power she used, "I have met Sith Chiss, exiled from their homes, never to return."

"It's seen as an impurity, since it is rare among our people. Considering that we choose to build our society on the idea that all of us have equal opportunities, such impurities cause disorder within our borders." Arcisina tilted her head in respect, "No disrespect to you, Lady Behermo. In your Empire, those with your features almost always have some latent power in the Force. To you, it is normal. To us, it is a risk."

"Thus, your allegiance to the Empire." Avadd notes, stepping through the opening she made. This was met with silence, but the silence was the only answer she needed. The Chiss were proud, almost seen as arrogant. To Avadd, this was easily understandable. The Warrior was a true pureblooded Sith, a rarity even among those who shared a similar look to her. Her family's tree was all of the original Sith, refusing to interbreed with humans or other Sith. Perhaps it was to sustain their species, or perhaps it was an experiment, either way… she was a rarity. Her blood was pure Sith, and she had some pride in that. She dressed like the traditional Sith, she did her best to apply herself to their ways, and even knew a great deal of Sith Alchemy due to her studies. While she was no sorcerer like her brother, she chose wisely to study nonetheless. There was pride in not submitting oneself just for the sake of power, or at least not admitting it. The Chiss bowed to the Empire because the Empire made the Chiss strong. Their cooperation benefited the Chiss much more than it did the Empire, and the Imperials knew it. But the Imperials also never turned down an ally, especially one that shared so many similar ideas when it came to essential warfare.

So the silence was one of respect to the land, to the heritage, that Arcisina came from. They both knew why the alliance existed, even to this day, and there was no need to harm the agent's pride by speaking on it. Especially not in such an unknown situation. As they walked into the ship, Avadd sensed Arcisina's unease. Unlike the others, her unease was not born from the bodies of their comrades or the corpse of their ship, it was born from other feelings. Now that she had been made to see the possibilities of a mutiny, and her existing observations on the lack of service droids and Skytroopers, Avadd could understand the reasoning behind the Chiss' unease.

At this point, Avadd would be glad to see her Master's corpse, instead of his masked visage staring back at her. If he was dead, they could at least blame this incident on pirates or technology fizzling out. His life would only draw more questions, and they weren't questions Avadd would be proud to ask. Nor did she think she could face Set now, realizing that he had hidden from the war against Zakuul until he sensed the end of the battle. The bridge she walked upon was hardly recognizable, scorched metal and destroyed technology lining what remained of the room. The roof had been blown out, the front was entirely missing, and only the back section was somewhat intact. Luckily enough, the back was all she needed. Typically the monitors in the rear of the bridge were used for data-gathering and event logs, as well as distress communications. In these computers would the story of the last hours of the _Ziost Flame_ be told. All they needed to do was find the data uplink, pull the memory chips out, and plug them into Arcisina's decrypter.

In minutes, they'd know whether or not Darth Set died with honor.


	3. Flame of Blight

1"Morgan! Over here!" Captain Donovan's voice was easy to make out over the eerie silence that blanketed the innards of the _Ziost Flame_, leading Sergeant Morgan to finally break his search of the dead. Nary a soul was left within the Flame but the search group, even beasts and droids refusing to remain within. From where the Flame crashed, a blighted area of death was all that was left. A lively forest refused to regrow over the wreckage, the cataclysm that struck scorching any hope of life from the area. Morgan half wondered if the reason Avadd and Behel were so on edge was due to the lack of life in the area, if there was some sort of Void in the Force that the twins could make out. Alas, the Sergeant had as much Force sensitivity as a stone, leading the higher mysteries to be lost on the man. Perhaps he'd ask Donovan about it when they had the time, for there was some urgency in the Captain's voice as he called out for him.

Morgan rounded the corner to see both Donovan and Rathwell preparing their weaponry, Donovan holding out an active holo of Avadd. Something had happened. Morgan drew his own rifle, "What's the situation?"

"I got a message from Miss Behermo. I'll break it down for you, since we're on a tight timeframe. She and the Chiss searched the upper region of the Flame, finding signs of a mutiny among other things. After finding the bridge mostly blown out, they did manage to restart an intact system, pulling the logs of the last few hours of the Flame's flight against Zakuul. I didn't understand most of what Avadd said, but I'm getting the gist that some sort of Force phenomena was the cause of the Flame and Eternal Fleet's crash, as well as the fact that Darth Set communed with some sort of entity during his battle meditation." Donovan scowled, "The transmission was murky, but Avadd has reasonable suspicion that whatever it was… It pulled Set's loyalists out of the wreckage into the forest." The Captain clicked a button on the side of a communication earpiece, a visor folding over his face, "She's ordered us to get back to the entrance, and prepare to run back to the shuttle and regroup."

"So why are we getting our arms fired up? Doesn't sound like the danger's eminent, yet." Morgan quirked a jet black brow, the man confused by the urgency of Donovan's moves.

"I've got a bad feeling about the situation, Sergeant. I'm ordering you to prepare your weapons, at least to stun." He said, configuring his own rifle to kill. That was one of the things about Donovan that got him so high in the ranks, he had an uncanny ability to detect if something was about to go awry. Those feelings usually turned out to be correct, making most of his men deeply trust his intuition. Perhaps it was a latent Force ability, or perhaps the Captain just was smart enough to recognize danger in each scenario he was thrust in. So as Donovan set his rifle to kill, so did Morgan.

Rathwell adjusted the headband he wore, lifting his scattergun up. The man's accent was more typical of a person born outside of Kaas City, in the wilds of Dromund Kaas, "Aye, the situation seems a bit fishy. Am no thinkin' this is gon go well." He rolled his shoulders, his heavier Imperial Wargear rattling with the movement, "A say we gunnae have to load up quick, do ye ken?"

"Right. Faster we move, the quicker we can judge the situation." Donovan cocked his rifle, "Let's move, Beasts."

Rathwell was in the front, the man's shields were stronger than Donovan and Morgan's, for he was meant to be a frontline unit. A scattergun and strong vibroblade made the big trooper a threat to those he ran after, meaning the Beasts usually let him lead. His boot stepped forward, crunching through the bones of a dead officer, only for Rathwell to stop dead in his tracks. The man's nose twitched, "Mates, in't that smoke?"

Donovan clicked through his visor's settings, picking up the infrared spectrum, "I smell smoke, but I don't see the heat picking up."

Morgan felt the heat growing in the room, and he wasn't sure if Donovan's machine was malfunctioning or if he was just starting to lose his cool. But as he saw a few beads of sweat roll down Rathwell's neck, he knew something was up, "Cap'n, don't you think this could be something dealing with that Force Entity that Avadd spoke about?"

"No. It's something worse." He cursed, lifting his rifle, "This is one of Darth Set's tricks. The heat isn't going up, but our brains are tricked into thinking it is. I have no idea why Set's tricks would be employed now, but I have a feeling we're not welcome aboard the _Ziost Flame_ anymore."

"You think it's Darth Set doing this?" Morgan put his helmet on, the inner fan cooling the man off, "It just can't be a coincidence that our lord's skill are suddenly being used against us."

Donovan shook his head, "No, it's not Set himself. If it were, we'd be feeling more than hot right now. But, usually this ability was followed by something even darker than an illusion."

Rathwell shouted, "HELL!" as smoke began to curl from the shattered bones beneath his boot, wrapping itself around his foot. The big man was quickly able to get free of its grip, but he cracked through more remains as he stumbled backwards. Smoke poured from each of their bodies, forming into strange forms that stood around the troopers. They remained still, until Donovan spoke again.

"Phantoms. They're not just here to scare us, boys." The Captain adjusted his rifle to its highest setting, "They're here to add us to their ranks. FIRE AT WILL, EXTREME PREJUDICE. SEND THESE PHANTOMS PACKING."

The shadows lunged, Captain Donovan pushing Morgan out of the way. Blasting a hole through the first one in his way, he pointed forward, "We need to get into the light! Seein' these bastards will give us a good advantage!" He activated an Echani shield around his arm, punching another smokey form out of the way. Running forward, he seemed to be the target the entities were hunting. Rathwell's scattergun made fast work of a few more, but they seemed to be easily capable of reforming within an instant. Whatever Donovan schemed, Morgan hoped it would deal with the immortal nature of these projections. As one scraped his arm, the searing pain was very real. Illusions they were not.

Morgan lifted his rifle, foolishly shining a light into the hallway. Bringing light to the dark was originally something he figured could give him an edge, but it ended up psyching the marine out. The hall was lined with the spectral smoke, clawing and scraping at metal. The trooper could clearly see the fiery marks left behind by their talons, as thousands of reflective eyes glared back at him. Rathwell jumped at the sight, unloading a volley of plasma down the hall. Some screeching was heard, the sounds of energy dissipating, but as with the other downed specters, they reformed extremely quickly. Thinking quickly, Morgan clicked a sonic detonator from his belt, flinging it down the hall. Donovan fired another volley through the air, cutting through the figures approaching Morgan, giving the Sergeant a little time to pull off his plan.

The grenade clinked against the ground and was clearly visible, allowing Morgan to fire upon it with the grace of an expert Sniper. One shot was enough to detonate the grenade, a sonic wave greatly disrupting the air around it. Metal bent, a gust of air blew back into their faces, and the throngs of shadowy demons screamed as the disruption broke their forms. From their broken forms, an evil red flame began to spill outwards. Crossing the floor, licking out like the tongue of a krayt dragon, it threatened to overtake the three men before they reached the end of the hall. Picking up the pace, Rathwell set his scattergun to an auto-matic mode, peppering the air with thousands of bolts of hot plasma. It was not enough to keep all of the demons away, ripping at the troopers' armor with little regard to shielding. At the end of the hall, each of the men were smoking with smoldering wounds, their armor threatening to fall apart.

At the end of the hall, there was a branching path. One branch lead to the infirmary and to the elevator shaft that lead deeper into the ship, the infirmary providing a good place to stand against the band of wraiths. Jumping deeper into the ship might prove now to be a death sentence, for perhaps whatever waited down there was more malignant than a set of flaming ghosts. Another path lead back to where Corporal Okk was keeping watch, meaning the same place they came from. It'd be a coward's way out, but regrouping with Okk and Behel's men was potentially a good idea. That was, of course, if they could outrun the shadow horde. And the final route lead to the bridge, and Morgan had his doubts. He had no idea what could have been sent Avadd's way, but he's certain if something was sent after her… it was much more ugly than these things. He was certain Avadd could easily survive it, nonetheless, as she was nigh immune to fire like this. If something came against her, it'd have to be much more than numbers and firepower to take her out.

Morgan had a sneaking suspicion that Avadd was their best bet, here. He also had a suspicion that Okk sensed this trap, and that was the reason the trandoshan was so on edge. A creature like the Corporal probably could sense things better than a normal man could, though that just led him to wonder if Okk should have warned them more about what he sensed. Perhaps it was simple paranoia. Nevertheless, a decision would have to be made quickly. Morgan looked to Donovan, "Sir?"

"Three paths, paths we all know what waits at the end. The infirmary is closest, though I don't like our chances there. Corporal Okk would be a welcome asset here, and getting back to Behel would be in our best interests, but that's a long ways out. Avadd could easily handle these things, though I don't like the idea of meeting anything on the way meant to kill her. Mixing the cohorts of the spirits here and whatever that could be doesn't inspire confidence in me." The Captain jams a shot of kolto into his exposed thigh, "I say we split up. I'll take the Infirmary, Rathwell you meet with Avadd, and Morgan… run back to Behel's group."

"Sir, that's suicide! Your life is worth-" Donovan glared at Morgan as he made his protest.

The Captain's steely glare sent shivers down Morgan's back, "You won't defy a direct order, will you, son?"

"Sure he won't, but I will. Screw yer orders." The big man grinned, "Ye ain't dyin' today, Cap'n. There ain't no point ta' it." He cocked his scattergun and ran down the hall to the infirmary, despite Donovan's yelling.

Another chill ran through Morgan. He knew that he had just watched a close friend of his run to his death, but he couldn't say that it was the first time he'd seen such bravery on display. It was a bitter feeling to know yet again he had remained silent on such duty, just to stay alive. He had survived so many journeys with the Ashen Beasts, but he wondered how much of it was due to cowardice. A survivor had no reason to exist in a war like the many he has survived through, billions of lives lost in battles he scraped by in. By all statistical measures, he should be among the names that adorned a list of the lost from his home. Instead, he stood back, accepting the bravery of another of the lost. He heard Rathwell scream and fire round after round in the dark, until silence overtook the hallway. Donovan's face grew grim, as it was certain that he could no longer detect Rathwell's signal.

The Sergeant died to give them a chance.

And suddenly, something gripped Sergeant Morgan. Those years of survivor's guilt burned in his Imperial spirit, the depths of shame finally filling his heart. Not a soul would remember him if he died a coward, so instead, he looked to his Captain, "Rathwell was right, sir. You must live! I will not run like a dog, with my tail between my legs, back to safety. I will find Avadd!"

Donovan looked stricken with grief, but he could see the determination in his soldier's eye. There was no future in denying the man of his justice. With a resolute nod, Donovan sprinted back to the safety of Corporal Okk and Behel's team. The heat was ramping up now that Morgan hadn't anything to take his mind off of it. Just the company of the meager fan in his helmet and the spirits that were quickly catching up to him, and the hope that whatever strength he had left in him could carry him to the side of his savior. The gloomy halls of a downed star destroyer began to light up as the intense heat carried by his pursuers began to scorch the rotten dead around him, turning a once dark and desolate atmosphere into one that almost resembled primitive renditions of an afterlife born only to punish the deceased. The chasing flames of the defeated wraiths started to bite against his heels, the claws of the spirits occasionally cutting through the remains of the armor on his back.

It was Morgan's life for the lives of the others. It was a sacrifice worthy of the Empire.

"You wanted to know what my other concern was, Agent." Avadd's saber flashed outwards in a flurry of strikes, another droid crumpling to her might. Pointing her blade toward an approaching colossal spider droid, "This is what."

"You feared berserk droids?" The Chiss blasted a hole in a protocol droid carrying a jagged piece of scrap metal, "That or you mean there is something else behind this!"

"Come on, Muar'cisin'arco. Use your intellect for a moment here and consider what's happened." Avadd burned through one of the legs of a war droid, lifting her free hand to use the Force to throw it into a pack of violent droids, "The signal reactivates, we find no real traces of anything. The moment we do; the elevator shaft explodes and a swarm of violent droids pour out from the section of the ship I chose not to investigate. Think about my personality, Chiss."

"Abrasive, standoffish, and very practical." The Agent ducked beneath a claw of a loader droid, kicking its knees out.

"Yes. Practical. I only wanted to search data centers and the armory, the only places that Darth Set's crew would reasonably cache any information." A round of heavy cannon fire fell around Avadd as she deflected bolt after bolt with both Force and saber, "Set knows me. Set knows my brother. This is a test."

Arcisina's vibroknife tore out the neck of a blade-wielding service droid, "Or a trap." She knocked it down, another pair of protocol droids running after her as fast as they could.

"If it were a trap, we'd be dead." A fearsome slash cut the spider droid's first leg in twain, causing it to topple. Two strikes from her fist made the machine tumble, and a final mighty strike of her blazing blade split the construct's shell into two distinct halves. With the precision of a trained warrior, Avadd pushed both halves to the side, the malfunctioning machinery exploding on contact with the other droid cohorts. Her fierce yellow eyes flicked back to Arcisina, who pushed another wardroid off of herself, "But perhaps that means it is a trap to the rest of you."

"I will not pretend that Set cared much for his Ashen Beasts, beyond those in the lead of it. There's a reason he called them beasts, not warriors. He respected warriors, but his definition only often included those who could use the Force. If not them, Mandalorians or other war-cults like them were held in high regard. A soldier fights for home and payment. A warrior fights for war, for battle, to improve themselves." Avadd clenched her fist, her mouth curling into a prominent frown, "That was the only thing I ever disagreed with my master on. Home is just as good as a reason to fight, to be a warrior, as challenge is."

Wiping some blood from her mouth, Arcisina seemed to reorient herself just enough. Seeing Avadd fight was nothing short of amazing, as though the droids were disorganized and relatively weak, there were many of them. Each of them were supercharged, as well, leading their attacks to hit surprisingly hard. The moment they breached the shaft and broke her defensive perimeter, she at least assumed she'd be able to dip and dodge out of the way of harm. Instead, a metal fist cracked against her jaw, knocking more than enough teeth out of her mouth to tell her that another hit like that would do more than knock teeth out. But Avadd? Even when the big Sith got hit, it was as if nothing happened. In fact, she swore that she had seen one of the protocol droids dislodge their arm hitting the Sith. For a moment it made Arcisina envy Avadd's strength, but there was no point in being jealous of something that was generally unobtainable. Keeping her mind in the game, she chose to respond to Avadd with a question, "So this is why you think this is a test by your master? These droids prove no challenge to someone like you, it's just meant to get you thinking. To the rest of us, the swarm would be well-enough to at least overwhelm a few of us."

"Whatever the orchestrator of this wants, they knew Set. They knew Set's people." Avadd turned her saber off, "I need answers, so I need to get us off this ship. Especially your decrypter pad." Closing the gap between them with great haste, Avadd stuck her hand out for the agent's datapad, "It'll be safer with me."

"With all due respect, Miss Behermo, you are too reckless in battle for me to entrust this to you." Arcisina waved to Avadd's relatively torn and tattered armor, "You seem to be much too willing to get hit for me to want to give this to you."

"Hnnn…" Avadd growled, "... Fair enough. Do not lag behind me, unless you want me to be forced to leave you to die here."

A quick salute almost made Avadd want to throw the Chiss from the bridge, but she knew her irritation was no excuse to murder a valuable ally. Or to murder, period. Death should have more meaning than 'I was annoyed'. As the Sith turned around to leave the bridge, the _Ziost Flame _shook. The vessel tipped somewhat to the side, the bridge rattling with this sudden force. She stood her ground, feeling the ship shake and hearing the weakened metal around her groan, seeking an answer to this sudden upheaval. The smell of fuel and burnt flesh came soon after, as she heard blaster fire and Imperial shouting fill the hallway. The noise grew closer until she saw the dark hall brighten, smoke curling the corners. The shouting had a source, as a heavily wounded soldier rounded the corner, periodically peppering the hall behind him with volleys of plasma. Angry scarlet flames chased behind him, claws and figures of both smoke and fire at his heels. Sergeant Morgan was being chased by something Avadd easily recognized.

Though she was sure Donovan knew the trickery of her master, Avadd knew it intimately. Set could pull upon the life essence of the deceased and turn it into a wave of angry Force creatures, and he often used it to kill targets quickly and effectively. It was a mistake to send it against the Captain. But, it did prove one of Avadd's worst fears. Whoever was laying this test out for her, they at least were a disciple of Set. This was a betrayal by a member of the Red Dawn, at the very least. More evidence had begun to mount, leading Avadd to doubt that it was merely a servant of Set.

More and more she knew that she'd be seeing her master again, and it would not be a happy reunion. A wall of Force energy was erected behind Morgan, both of Avadd's hands lifted to build the barrier. It was a null-Force wall, hopefully strong enough to negate the spirits for the time being. Watching Morgan stumble and fall, his breath ragged and harsh, she knew the man had run far and hard to get here. Seeing his wounds, she knew the man would be dead if not for the cauterizing effect of the pursuers' attacks. This was getting sloppy, and it was concerning her more and more. Arcisina knelt to tend to Morgan, kolto giving the man the strength to prop himself back up. The adrenaline had run out, he barely had the energy to move.

"Speak." Avadd was terse.

Morgan gasped, caught his breath, and leaned to look at her, "Donovan said this was something that Set used. The Captain's fine, he ran back to Behel… But we lost Rathwell." He looked around at the wrecked droids, "Guess I was right about something being sent your way, though I expected something worse."

Arcisina propped Morgan's head up on her lap, "I don't like that your theory is being confirmed, Avadd." Her stoic features turned into a concerned look, "If they were trying to kill us, they'd've sent something much worse than droids to kill you. Either this is the most coincidental sloppy assassination attempt in galactic history, or we're being lead on."

"Either way, you both are trapped. Those flames are practically useless against me, but they'd kill you." Avadd pulled one of her hands away from the wall, blowing down a scorched wall on the side of the bridge, "That's the only way out for you two. I can't imagine you'd survive the fall without the Force."

"So we're dead?" Morgan chuckled, "Guess this was the right move…"

"No, but you'll need to trust me." The Sith used her free hand to rip some of the floor of the hallway up into a makeshift wall, running over and reaching her hand down to Morgan, "Take my hand."

The soldier did, a perplexed look on his face. As he did, Arcisina groaned, "This isn't the worst idea I've seen…" And in a moment, Morgan was held over Avadd's shoulder, "But it is the most embarrassing."

"It's either your pride or your life, Agent." Avadd carried Morgan like he was weightless, "Take my hand or burn."

As Arcisina watched the makeshift wall begin to melt, she sucked down her ego, and took Avadd's hand. Avadd pulled her in, causing her to yelp, and soon she was equally in a compromising position as Morgan. The wall broke, the flames poured, and she shouted, "PLEASE DON'T MAKE MY LAST MOMENTS SHAMEFUL!"

Charging with inhuman speed, Avadd leapt from the bridge, the fire biting at their backs. By the literal seats of their pants, they barely escaped the ire of Set's shadow hordes. Through use of the force, they landed relatively easily on the blackened ground around the wreckage of the _Ziost Flame_, the ship set completely ablaze by fiery spirits. Avadd set Morgan down, let Arcisina off of her shoulder, and pulled up her communicator. Treating the shock of the landing like it was nothing, she tried to contact her brother. The only answer was static, with another shadow looming on the horizon.

The troubles on Amun had just begun.


End file.
